That the French are staunch supporters of the purity of their own language is certainly no secret. Yet this time the question really seems to get complex. After intense months of battles, France has chosen to review the rules on the use of English for gamingin order to preserve the purity of the language. And so, the word “pro-gamer” is replaced by “joueur professionnel“. And the term “streamer” is transformed into “joueur-animateur en direct” – a meaningful definition, but rather quirky -.
France: gaming English banned to preserve the purity of the national language
There is great movement in France on the issue of using English for gaming. The Ministry of Culture, in fact, explicitly stated that the video game sector is rich in Anglicisms which could represent a “barrier to understanding” for non-players. And this only increases the country’s concern about the degradation of his language, especially beyond the English Channel. On the other hand, the same French Academy he declared that the Frenchman is facing a “degradation that must not be seen as inevitable”.
To make this situation increasingly worrying is the widespread diffusion of terms such as “big data” e “drive-in“. Not to mention all the specific words in English that are used in the gaming industry. Given the situation, therefore, it is not surprising that France has banned some Anglicisms in favor of the use of words in French. “Cloud gaming”, for example, becomes “jeu video en cloud”. And the term “eSports” is replaced by “jeu video de competition“. In short, every English term of gaming has now its French equivalent, which must be used when speaking within national borders. And while it is clear that the goal is language purity, officials still argue that the strategy has been implemented to make the topic more understandable for all.